ERIC WENTZ was born in a small town in southern Pennsylvania where as a boy he learned to hunt, fish, and read, both the written word and the signs of nature. After years of an almost transient life as the son of a Naval officer, the family settled in Ohio, where he attended the Jesuit College Preparatory high school, Cleveland St. Ignatius. There he engaged in athletics and learned to love the quest for knowledge, a quest nurtured by the Jesuits who play such a prominent role in his novel. Later, he continued under their tutelage as a student at Cincinnati Xavier University, majoring in English and Social Studies. He wedded these disciplines to a life long interest in writing poetry, studying archaeology, and understanding military battle tactics and logistics. He then taught and coached in the Cincinnati area before attending Ohio State University where he obtained a master’s degree in applied linguistics and Italian.

In 1992 Wentz obtained a second master’s degree, this one in educational administration, from Northern Illinois University. He continued his studies, culminating in a doctorate in the same discipline in 1999. Wentz has devoted more than twenty-five years to teaching high school English and Social Studies, receiving various teaching awards including one from the Department of Commerce and several from the Defense Department. Additionally, Wentz has coached high school wrestling, baseball, track and cross-country.

Wentz’ teaching success is mirrored in his own career as a Navy officer in the United States armed forces. His career has afforded him an opportunity to travel widely in his functions with the Department of Defense and serves as the basis for much of the material in his current novel. His background in military affairs and linguistics enables him to craft his stories with factual precision and aesthetic delights.

He maintains an interest in wilderness canoeing, deep sea fishing, and archaeological excavation.